Maintaining your asphalt driveway is the difference between minor repairs and a total replacement.
Asphalt driveways are incredibly common in neighborhoods throughout the country. Unfortunately, their heavy presence does not mean that homeowners know how to properly maintain them! Maintaining your asphalt driveway is the difference between minor repairs and a total replacement. Here are some of our top tips for perfectly maintaining your asphalt driveway.
Clear Off Your Asphalt Driveway
Before getting started, remove everything (including the obvious-cars) from the surface of your driveway. Cleaning up can take a while, so be sure that you have a safe place to park your cars. Make sure there aren’t any pieces of debris on your surface either, like small pebbles or sidewalk chalk. Take a stiff broom and sweep the surface.
Inspect Your Driveway
Before sealing your asphalt driveway, take a walk around to see how the surface of your driveway is doing. Small cracks in the surface aren’t an issue, as the sealing process will fill in those. If you have large cracks (⅛ of an inch or bigger) they should be separately filled by a professional.
Clean Your Driveway
Sweep the surface of your driveway again, removing dirt and dust. Next, rinse your driveway with soapy water to break down and remove any oils or chemicals sitting on the surface. This extra step makes the difference between a long-lasting sealcoat and a poor-quality one.
Apply the Sealer
Make sure all ingredients are properly mixed and combined before starting. Use a squeegee with a brush on the other side for application, so that you can spread the sealer and then make sure it is evenly applied. Instead of focusing on adding one dense layer, try to make two thin layers that will dry more quickly. Thin coats can take up to 12 hours to dry, depending on how high the temperature and humidity are outside.
Seal Coating and Asphalt Services from PTG Enterprises
If you want to protect your asphalt and ensure it has a long lifespan, choose PTG Enterprises for your sealcoating and asphalt maintenance needs. We offer commercial concrete, masonry, asphalt installation, repair, and paving throughout Baltimore, Harford, Anne Arundel, Howard, and P.G. Counties. If you are interested in hearing how we can help you, contact us online or give us a call at (410) 636-8777. For more tips and tricks, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, and Flickr.
